When summer hits, multiple poker tournaments take place all around the world, allowing players from all over the world to enjoy the game they love an a challenging and intriguing way. Poker players either travel to Las Vegas and other major cities to join the festivities or follow the events and their results religiously, as no one wants to miss out on the drama happening at the tables.
Usually, the events feature multiple poker styles, but the majority of the tournaments will probably focus on the most popular poker variation: Texas Hold'em. To prepare you for the upcoming Hold'em season, Let our Everygame Poker experts refresh your memory regarding the rules of the game and learn some new Texas Hold'em tips!
Texas Hold'em Crash Course: Basic Rules & Tips
If you haven't played Texas Hold'em before, this is how it works: at the beginning of each round, all players are handed two cards facing down (aka hole cards). Then, the community cards – which are shown to all players – are revealed in three stages: the flop reveals three cards, the turn reveals another one, and the river completes a series of five face-up cards.
During each of those stages, players have the option of folding, calling, and raising their bets. After the river, players who haven't folded reveal their hole cards, and the player with the highest-ranking hand wins the pot.
Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, you shouldn't let the simplicity of the rules fool you. This game requires a lot of thought and strategizing on the player's part, as they must focus on figuring out the value of their own hand while keeping track of everyone else's actions.
So, to survive a Hold'em poker match, here are a few tips you should always take into account:
- Know when to fold – If you want to remain seated at the poker table for a long while, you should focus on protecting your chip stack. That means playing within a limited range of hands, folding when you're not happy with the hand you have, and not trying to be too adventurous at the beginning of the event. While taking risks and placing bets even when you have a weak hand can pay off sometimes, the odds are NOT in your favor, so in the long run, being careful and folding more often can benefit your goal.
- Be aggressive when necessary – While you need to know when to fold, you should also be able to turn on your aggressiveness when the situation calls for it. When you have a strong hand, or when you want to bluff, you need to do that with full confidence and go in with guns blazing.
- Understand your opponents – As we've mentioned before, focusing on the value of your cards is not enough to help you win Texas Hold'em tournaments. You also have to pay close attention to your opponents: what kind of players are they? Would you classify them as tight or loose players? If they decide to raise, does it mean they have a strong hand, or might they be bluffing? What are the odds of them having a stronger hand than you?
- Bluff with confidence – Bluffing might be the most popular poker strategy, but not everyone uses this tool correctly. If you bluff too often, you might lose credibility and you won't be able to bluff in the future. And if you lose confidence after deciding to bluff, your opponents will be able to sniff out your weakness in a second.
- Keep your cool – A lot of players lose Texas Hold'em tournaments because they tilt. That means they get frustrated after losing a time or two, which leads them to make reckless decisions that might cause them to lose even more money. Try to keep your cool even when things don't go your way, and maybe you will be able to rattle your opponents and remain seated at the table for longer.
Are You Ready for a Texas Hold'em Event?
With the biggest poker tournaments around the corner, this is the perfect time to brush up on your Texas Hold'em knowledge. Are you ready to place your bets?